The bulk of the book is allocated to reviews of fantasy fiction through the ages, although most tend to gear towards the 'sword and sorcery' or ‘sword and sandal’ stories ala Conan, Fafhred and the Gray Mouser, Elric, and Brak the Barbarian. Many of the authors represented here are house-hold names like Edgar Rice Burroughs, H. Rider Haggard, Andrew J. Offutt, Michael Moorcock, Fritz Leiber, and of course, Robert E. Howard. Naturally, there are many names you may be less familiar with. Eleven different reviewers offer their opinions in thoughtful reviews (Full Disclosure once again: I’m one of them), and even when I disagreed, I was pleased to see good supporting arguments as to why the reviewers felt as they did. Above all, they are informative.
Along with the interesting reviews are a number of “Fantastic Factoids”. These are two-page spreads that spotlight themes or cover artists. These include subjects such as “DAW and Tarzan”, “Flashing Swords”, “Dray Prescott”, “Fantasy Femmes” and “Fantastic Stories”.
A real bonus in this volume (just as in the first issue) is the full color artwork. Almost every review is accompanied by a full color depiction of the cover. Again, the covers chosen aren’t necessarily the ones you’ve seen and known from the bookstore shelves. They offer a full mix of UK and US covers as well as some from other countries. Sometimes, several covers are presented representing different styles and artists for the same book/comic. Additionally, each cover presented includes details of the artist and other facts about the book’s history.
As always, these products offer a great way to get a sampling of a specific genre. Fantasy fans will soak this up while those who’ve only ever wondered about what this genre is all about will find plenty to whet their appetites.
Highly recommended.
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